Shoe-like Puzzles and Thoughts
by Alfreya-chan13
Summary: Conan/Shinichi recalls a conversation he and Heiji shared a few weeks ago. This talk refers to how Ran is like Shinichi's favorite pair of shoes?


**Heyyo! Look, I know this story is kinda weird, but this is the only thing that came into my mind! Don't blame me for my weird thoughts! This is the only thing I can think of!**

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He loves how she was attached to him like glue; the way she stuck to him even if he was out of earshot but is nearly wherever she goes describes how loyal she was to him.

He loves the fact the she fits him perfectly. No gaps or wrong pieces, just puzzles that connected him to her life until it was whole. She fitted him like his favorite pair of shoes managed to fit their way in to his feet.

It sounds cheesy and cliché, but to him, it sounds perfect. Shinichi once mentioned this to Heiji, saying Ran was like his favorite pair of shoes because of how they fit to his feet perfectly, just like how she manages to fit in to his life perfectly. As he lay down on his bed, his mind recalled what Heiji did as he told him.

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 _Hattori laughed it off, his dark brown cheeks turning red due to his roaring laughter. Having seen the upset glare Shinichi threw at him, he chuckled and gave him a pat in the head._

" _You know Kudo, you'll outgrow the shoes you love so much. One day, your feet won't fit the shoes anymore and you're bound to give it to someone else or store them in a cabinet filled with your other shoes. How can you possibly say that neechan are like your shoes?" Shinichi heard him say._

 _For once in his lifetime, Shinichi was pissed. It may have sounded stupid, but the way Heiji said those words were as if he never loved someone or something. It was as if he hadn't have a care in the world but only himself. Albeit it slightly has some truth in it, Shinichi was still angered. He probably won't like where this was heading to, but he has to answer. Clenching his fists, he countered._

" _Are you stupid Hattori? Even if you do grow, even if your love for something changes, either that love has grown even stronger or your love is starting to drift away. In my case, I'd say it grew stronger. I've loved Ran for almost my whole life. And every single day, it grows bigger and bigger. I could say the same for your feelings for Toyama-san. Once you've outgrow that fact and it doesn't fit your puzzle anymore, you store them and look for something else that would fit. Remember, Hattori: as time passes on and you do grow, you find ways to fit pieces in your life as you experience new things. The time may pass, but the memories you have that relates to the one you stored years ago remains. That's like how you get your pair of shoes; you look for a pair that fits you, then once you found them, you put them on to your feet. You keep the old ones that don't fit you and place them in memory."_

 _Heiji glanced at him, the shock and realization came running towards him. But not satisfied enough with his answer, he frowned._

" _You do know you take your shoes off afterwards, right? Then you look for another pair that would fit your day's look! It's not all the time you wear your favorite shoes! Besides, how does what I'm blabbering about relate to what I just said? Anyway, you're smart. You can figure that out." Heiji gushed, leaving Shinichi with a strange look on his face as he averted his eyes to Heiji._

 _His ears could hardly believe what they just heard._ Is he really that stupid and dense? _Still, Shinichi replied with slight annoyance._

" _You do take them off afterwards and look for a new pair. But that doesn't mean you've replaced them completely. The other pairs you own represent different puzzle pieces. Every pair of shoes you have and like are just different aspects that make you want to love something more."_

" _You're not making any sense, Kudo."_

 _A sigh. How long is Heiji going to mess up his head? Being a detective like he is, he should have realized this sooner. But being the Heiji he is, Shinichi can only assume he knows the reason why but wants to hear it come out of his mouth. Typical Heiji._

" _See, we have different pairs of shoes right?" the Kudo son asked, a nod was his reply._

" _The shoes represent one thing we like so much. Every different type of pair is what we love about that one thing. As long as it fits us, then it would want to make us love that thing so much more. It's a puzzle I tell you! A puzzle! The shoes complete our outfits right?" green orbs rolled._

" _Of course." A voice of Kansai sounded tired, the topic of this conversation stupid and boring to him now. Reasons and answers went back and forth. Now, they have nothing to say or add. To say the least, Shinichi was glad this talk was over. He spoke too soon._

" _Nee, Kudo, you forgot to answer one thing." The Kansai-ben was strong in his words. Eyebrows raised in question._

" _We take off our shoes right? Doesn't that mean you're tired of that thing?" he asked. Till then did Shinichi realize that he was right?_

 _Yes, he did. What Heiji said was true. By the day ends, we take off our shoes. Does that really mean we're tired and bored of it? His head was in circles, trying to find the right answer to Heiji's question. Pulling in his thinking face, he thought hard. REALLY hard._

" _I don't know if this sounds good enough to answer your question, but that doesn't mean we're removing it from our life. We encounter lots of experiences day by day. After having completed the puzzle we formed on a certain day, a new puzzle comes and the whole thing resets. But it's up to you if you want to keep that puzzle intact. Besides, you can just add some more anyway." Shrugging his shoulders, he nonchalantly replied. Heiji, who is still thinking hard, stared at him._

" _But what if your love for something falters? Are you still willing to keep it in your life?" That was a good question. If somehow your love for something fades, you don't intend to keep it anymore. Shoulders shrugged again, hands crawled to his jean pockets._

" _It all depends on that person if they still want to keep it or not. It brought a huge impact to your life. If you really want to let go, then just let go. You can't keep things forever. Still, the memories you gained with it remains."_

" _Would you let neechan go if you don't love her anymore?"_

 _A glare rained down on him. Lapiz lazuli orbs stared at him with a murderous intent. Heiji felt intimidated._ Obviously, Kudo has no plan on leaving her. _Tiny arms crossed, yet the glare stayed._

" _Of course not. She's special to me. I have no intention of stopping. She's mainly the reason why I didn't chicken out on finding the men in black. Even if it were very dangerous, I'd risk my life to protect her. Not just her, but everyone I know and love. It's just her that inspired me to keep going." Shinichi's expression softened, a picture of Ran smiling at him made his knees tremble slightly. He loves her so much any interference would have to pay a huge price._

 _A smile crawled on Heiji's face, the words he heard sounded reasonable enough. He would've said the samething if the question was asked to him. Flashes of Kazuha's smiling face entered his own-that's right. He'd do anything just to keep her safe._

" _I guess you're right about that."_

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A chuckle erupted. How hilarious it was that he brought it up to Heiji. The thought raked throughout his head in repeating sweeps.

 _Would you let neechan go if you don't love her anymore?_

That question aroused him. Would he really let go of Ran? Of course not. He had never loved a girl as much as he loves her. Many requests of girls wanting to be his girlfriend countered him here and there, but all were turned down. Ran was only the girl he loves, aside from his mom. She kept him going. Hadn't he ever stopped loving her?

Eyes of blue stared at the red pair of shoes, its color illuminated by the moonlight. A color so sweet yet so deadly. A color for love and happiness, yet at the same time blood and death. Despite the many goods and bads of this color, it was their favorite.

Shinichi had decided to place the shoes beside him as he sleep – the recalled conversation he and Heiji shared a few weeks ago made him want the shoes near him. Like he said, they reminded him of Ran; they fit perfectly on either side. Both his shoes and she are special, he would want to keep them forever. Even if they do change and grow, he would still want them. He was willing to accept them anyway, change or not.

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 **Finished at last! The story may have a few disagreements, but hey, like I said: this is the only thing I can think of. Till next time peeps!**


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